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Scholarship Q & A

We receive donations from generous individuals, businesses, and organizations throughout the year to give as scholarships just for BTC students. These donors often have ties to BTC because they are alumni, their business hires our graduates, or their organization supports education in our community. We also have endowment funds that support scholarships with yearly distributions from donors who have made sizeable contributions and wish their gift to help students in perpetuity.

The total amount we have available fluctuates from year-to-year, but the average yearly total since 2008 is over $200,000 and the average award per student has been about $1,500. We base the award amount on financial need, time left in program, cost of the program, and the overall application.

While we cannot guarantee you will receive a scholarship, we are here to help you put together the best possible application, which can improve your chances. On average we give money to almost 50% of those who submit complete applications.

There are only three requirements you must meet to be considered for a Foundation scholarship. You need a Student ID (SID), you need to have a FAFSA on file, and you need to submit a completed application by the deadline. You'll see more info on the application page.

Some of our donors have set specific criteria for their scholarships. You just complete one simple application and we'll match you up to the scholarships that fit your profile. The questions that you answer on your application help us determine your eligibility for all of them. You'll notice that many of the available scholarships in the list below say Open to any student, which means as long as you have met the requirements to apply you are eligible for a scholarship.

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APPLICATION AVAILABLE APRIL 15TH - JUNE 30TH

Writing a winning essay

In early July a committee of 6-8 people gathers together to select scholarship recipients. Every application is carefully considered for a scholarship and some of the factors that we consider when choosing recipients are financial need and GPA, but the biggest factor is the scholarship essay or personal statement.

What you should write about in your essay

When you write your winning essay, we really just want you to tell us why you need and/or deserve a scholarship. As you will see from the examples, longer is not always better, we aren't too concerned with perfect spelling and excellent grammar, and we give awards to students of all ages, from every program, with various financial needs. However, we have to score everyone on something, so be sure to address the following topics:

Who are you?

----What sets you apart from other applicants? Why should we choose you?

Why are you a good fit for your program?

----What knowledge or life experience do you have that will help you be successful? What do you know about this career? What are your career goals?

What is your living situation & financial need?

----Who do you support? Who supports you? What resources do you have for college?

How do you/will you give back to your community?

----Do you feed your neighbor's cat? Help out your PTA? Usher at church? If you don't have time for any of that now, do you plan to do something in the future or have you in the past?

For most of my adult life, I have been an entrepreneur working as a self employed business owner in the construction field. I started and grew a
successful contracting business for over twenty years, created jobs, participated in community civic organizations, and provided for my family,
as well as my employees families. I am proud of the fact that I have always been self sufficient and made my own way, never having relied on
any help from the government in terms of loans, welfare or unemployment. Humbling and difficult as it was, I have endured a very recent business failure, foreclosure and divorce all in the same year. By enrolling and excelling at BTC, I think this demonstrates my ability to cope, re- group, adjust and push forward.

In the past, I have been a member of the Rotary Club, served as president of the Historical Society, served as a volunteer for the Tuolumne River Trust, and as an usher in my church. I am a member of the Phi Betta Kappa Honor Society, and currently possess a 3.75 GPA. Last year I completed my first session as a Coach in the Student Coach Program, and served as president of the P-Tech Safety committee for the 2012 year. I consider myself to be a go-getter type, who likes to give back to others.

When the construction industry collapsed, I looked into the P-Tech program since I was accustomed to working in these same environments. The P-Tech Program was a good fit for me. I see myself in the next five years well on my way to being employed in my chosen field. It is exciting to know that by then, and with the help of
BTC Foundation grant money, I will have re-invented my self and made my way once again into a successful career.

In April of this year I turned fifty-six, and am now considered a senior citizen. With nearly a forty year absence from attending school, I like to
think of myself as the new “face” of higher education. I am just one of a multitude of seasoned, displaced workers who now find themselves
starting over in this strange economy. With help in the form of grants, scholarships, etc., I can be an example for others in how to succeed in
this “starting over” process.

At my age, every decision must count in progressing towards my goal of gaining employment in my chosen field. With the help of a BTC
Foundation Grant, I am confident I can reach my goal.

I would like to thank the review committee for considering my application, and I promise to be a good investment.

I grew up in a community in Kenya where girls were discriminated in their early stages of life because of their gender. As result, girls were isolated or/and marginalized. Today in my home town they are still denied their human rights, they lack access or are denied access to education and vocational training, employment, housing and economic self-sufficiency.

After graduating from high school, I started a business in second hand garments. I started making monetary contributions to charitable organizations here in the USA like CBN’s Operation Blessing, World Visions and other organizations that were working in Maasai Villages to help girls further their education. When I relocated to USA, I started volunteering in my local church in Seattle/Kirkland serving as a greeter and through monetary contributions, at least a quarter of my annual income went towards different humanitarian activities that the church was involved in, for example, rescuing girls from sex trafficking. I continue to do so here in Bellingham through the Cornwall Church and I hope to finally find other organizations.

Through these experiences, I felt compelled to further my education. This was the most difficult decision, having spent my entire adult life working to help people, it was not easy to abandon all the children I was sponsoring through the various charitable organized to focus on improving my education. In fact, my life was so consumed in my work that it took me several years before I started my search for school. I spoke to several people and visited a few schools but as soon as I came to BTC instantly, I knew that this is where I wanted to be.

I have been a caregiver for as long as I can remember; having worked in the hospitality industry for over ten-years. I was intrigued by the whole
aspect of personalized care: the privilege of being able to make a difference in people’s life. When I moved to the USA I had the opportunity to work closely with a relative who runs a few adult family homes in Pullman Washington, I was excited; I enjoyed the learning experience, compassionate care, and the hard work that has confirmed my desire to pursue the nursing program. My direct experience working with different groups includes: geriatric, people with developmental disability, Alzheimer’s disease, dementia and performing different duties far above the typical CNA’s duties, for instance, driving a van twice the size of regular car; the opportunity to shadow nurses performing a variety of tasks, further motivated me to continue my health care education.

I offer an abundance of life experience that has provided me a well-rounded perspective and appreciation of people and life. I am well aware of
the sacrifice, dedication, time, and effort that are necessary to be a quality nurse. I have always recognized good nurses as having the unique characteristics of compassion, a positive attitude, and a strong work ethic—qualities that I believe are very important and I feel I possess I understand that there is very little margin for error in patient care. I am detail oriented and I consistently strive to attain perfection in every aspect of my life.

I relocated to Bellingham in December 2012 and today I am enrolled in Bellingham Technical College, pursuing a degree in nursing. I am currently not working given that I am a full time student taking at least fifteen credits per quarter. I also felt that I needed more time to get acclimated considering it has been over ten years since I was in school. I am hoping that at the end of three years, I will not only gain experience, get a better paying job, but I will be able to inspire people around me and my community. Hillary R. Clinton said “If you educate a girl, you educate a whole village.” I know I am a village in the making.

I chose the diesel tech program because of a job that I got when I was 16. I was a frequent customer of a gravel yard and somewhat by chance was offered a job as they had just fired someone. I was soon immersed in the world of diesel as my boss began teaching me how to not only repair equipment but how to manage a loading yard and deal with customers. I have to admit that I really sucked terribly at first but as I got better I began to really enjoy the feeling you get when you're all done repairing something. It's a feeling like you've made a visible difference when you see that truck drive down the road again!

I grew up working on a Farm so I know how to work hard to get where I want to be. I was President of my FFA and 4-H clubs. I was the Top Individual in the nation at the 2012 FFA Agriculture Mechanics Contest. I volunteered at the fairground in the summer helping setup and teardown for events and also was a part of the cleanup crew at FFA fundraisers and several AKC dog shows.

I've been homeschooled my whole life but I took a few welding classes through the high school Tech Prep program. I'm living with my grandma in Ferndale so that I do not have to commute so far to get to school every day. I've been working as a shop tech for Northwest Shippers since September of last year.

If I am awarded a scholarship you can know that I will put the money to good use as I'm required to buy approximately $10,000 worth of tools for the program that I am in. As tuition keeps going up it seems like I work full time just to pay the school!

How your essay will be scored

Every essay is read and scored by two or more members of the scholarship selection committee. The scores are added together and averaged for a total possible of 4 points per essay. readers use the following rubric to come up with this score:

Overall Essay 40%
0 - No essay
1 - Very little effort (a few sentences; very little substance)
2 - Some effort (long or limited paragraphs; describes some relevant essay pieces)
3 - Good effort (multiple paragraphs; displays knowledge of program area and career)
4 - Outstanding (makes case for support by addressing program, career and community work)

Program Alignment 40%
0 - No mention of program alignment or career goals
1 - Does not match (it is clear they are not in the right program or know nothing about it)
2 - Limited alignment (They like their program but have little experience or exposure to the career)
3 - Good Program Alignment (makes case for appropriate program, discusses career goals)
4 - Excellent program alignment (student makes an excellent case for program success and career path)

Community/Volunteer Service 20%
0 - No mention of service
1 - No service (but mentions it in the essay)
2 - Limited service (helps family/friends, mentions past or future involvement)
3 - Some current involvement with community organization(s) (church, nonprofit, school, ASBTC, etc.)
4 - Active or significant past involvement in community organization(s)

Since you can't save and return, we strongly suggest that you write your essay before you start, then copy and paste it into the application. Write an appeal that addresses each of the following topics (6+ paragraphs):

Who are you?

Why are you a good fit for your program?

What is your living situation & financial need?

How do you/will you give back to your community?

This personal statement is a big part of our scoring, take your time and remember that you are asking a complete stranger to help you pay for school!